'Blank Field Handling' Section on a Salesforce Formula Field

Scenario
One possible scenario where the Blank Field Handling might be configured incorrectly is if you notice the formula field displaying blank values when you need it to calculate a value.

Example:

• You have 2 custom fields: Percentage A and Percentage B.
• You created a formula field that calculates the difference between the two custom fields (Percentage_A__c - Percentage_B__c).
• For record #12345, the Percentage A field has a value of '1.0' and the Percentage B field has a value of nothing/blank(null).

From your calculations, when you subtract the two fields above, '1.0' - blank(null) value = '1.0'. The result in this formula field on record will display a value differently based on how you configure the Blank Field Handling section.

From the example above, here are your two outcomes depending on your selection of Blank Field Handling:

• Outcome 1: When Treat blank fields as zeroes is selected, your formula will calculate '1.0' and display this on the record.
• Outcome 2: When Treat blank fields as blanks is selected, your formula will calculate nothing because they are treating blank fields as blanks. Salesforce will not produce a value if part of the formula criteria references a blank value. You will notice nothing has been populated on the record.

To avoid blank values resulting for formula calculations, it is recommended to select Treat blank fields as zeroes to always display a value for a formula field but this is completely dependent on your business needs.